Cut Down on Energy Loss with These Simple Duct Work Tips

Duct work is used to distribute conditioned air throughout a house, however, homes can lose air from a variety of reasons. For example, leaks, holes or poorly connected ducts. May not seem like a big deal, but it can result is much higher utility bills and can cause difficulties keeping all rooms in a home comfortable.

There are some simple things you can ask yourself to determine if you may have poorly performing ducts.

Think your utility bills. Do you have high summer and winter bills?

Are there rooms in your home that seem difficult to heat or cool?

When looking at your ducts, can you see any twists, kinks or areas they seem overly stretched?

If you have ducts that are damaged, disconnected at the joints or registers, if they are lacking adequate insulation— it can affect your home’s overall comfort and air quality. Leaky or damaged air ducts can cause homes to lose on average 20% of heating or cooling energy. If you're in a city close to a body of water, this can feel even more severe, such as Oakville or Mississauga.

In order to get the most out of your heating and cooling system, and to minimize energy loss, you should consider taking steps to repair, seal and insulate your duct work system.

If you noticed that your heating and cooling costs are higher than usual due to energy loss, you should consider checking your duct work layout. Inspecting your duct work system regularly for signs of poor layout and energy loss can help you keep your home comfortable and safe. Here are just a few check points:

Do you have rooms that are colder or warmer than the rest of the house?

Do you have uninsulated ducts that are located in unconditioned areas?

Do you have flexible ducts that are damaged or obstructed?

It is important to keep obstructions, such as furniture, debris blockage and any other items that may be impeding air flow away from the air-supply registers.

Should you decide to get your ducts sealed yourself, here are a few tips:

Check duct work at the joints, boots and elbows for leakage.

Check each register for leakage at the connections.

Check air pressure at each register to ensure even airflow and clean/remove any obstructions.

Check the air filter, and make sure that it is clean and that it has a tight fit with no gaps.

Insulate your duct work in unconditioned areas, like the garage, basement/crawl spaces, and attic.

If you need assistance checking your air ducts or to have any damages repaired, give us a call and we will take care of that quickly and efficiently. Some homeowners scratch their heads not understanding why their bills are climbing or if rooms feel drastically different in temperature. It could be multiple factors, but often a repair to the air ducts can make an extreme difference.